


Cakes and Tea

by AceTrainerAlicia



Series: The Adventures of Jaina: A Faith Renewed [14]
Category: Runescape
Genre: Camel Tea Parties, Camels--need I say more, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Pregnancy, Stress Baking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:44:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceTrainerAlicia/pseuds/AceTrainerAlicia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which a rather stressed Jaina, worn down with the pregnancy blues, stops by for a tea party with Akthanakos–and his newest… remarkable creations!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cakes and Tea

Two now-completed summer pies sat on the tabletop, ready to be baked, and her stomach growled impatiently. “I know, I know,” she murmured, taking a moment to count the runes in her pockets. “We’ll be eating soon, I promise!”

Closing her eyes, the purple-haired mage concentrated, and with a wave of her hand and a loud crackle, the pies were baked on the spot. As she looked them over carefully to see how well they’d turned out, a disappointed sigh came from behind her, and she turned around to see her red-haired love shaking his head.

The adventurer frowned, looking confused. “What is it?”

Sighing once more, Azzanadra adjusted his hat slightly. “Must you have sweets with every meal?”

“Eh?” Jaina blinked and brought the pies over to the kitchen table, placing them next to the rest of this morning’s breakfast—two meat pies, four eggs over easy, a wheel of cheese, and a loaf of freshly baked bread. “I haven’t made any cakes today, or yesterday for that matter…”

“Perhaps so, but I’ve also seen you prepare sweet pies, tarts, puddings, pastries… Jaina, our children must be fed a proper diet, and taught how to eat properly so that they grow strong and healthy.”

“Summer pies are all fresh fruit,” she pointed out. “That’s part of a balanced diet, is it not?”

Azzanadra looked unimpressed with her logic. “Some baked goods may contain fruit, but that does not make them necessarily healthy,” he said, his tone and expression both quite serious. “The amount of sweets I have seen you go through is troubling, to say the least.”

Jaina tensed up, biting back the words forming on her tongue. She needed to keep a level head, be respectful; snapping and yelling wasn’t going to solve anything… but she wasn’t sure how much more she could take of being lectured about what she could and couldn’t do. The escorts who had been following her around every time she went everywhere were bad enough, but he of all people should understand that she wouldn’t die from being breathed on just because she was with child.

She took a deep breath, silently praying for the strength of mind to keep calm. “Azzanadra… I have to carry around two growing babies, who will only get bigger and heavier as time goes on—bigger and heavier than full human babies, I do suspect—and I haven’t been able to go anywhere without an escort trailing me for a month now, and in that month all I’ve managed to do is finish their room, shop for baby items, and craft enough runes to fill a lake, and I still need to worry about new clothes I’ll be able to fit into—I need the sweets.”

“Do you hear yourself? Eating properly involves controlling yourself and keeping your desires in check—you do not need to eat sweets every day, stress or no stress.”

“What I need even less is to be followed everywhere and treated like I’m made of glass.” She sighed, hanging her head. “The desert faithful know full well what I had to face just for the sake of your freedom, yet the escorts hover so ridiculously close to me, and all I hear from them is ‘Not that way, my lady,’ ‘That might be risky, my lady,’ ‘Did you get a scratch, my lady’—they’re no better than the locals telling me not to go outside the town walls because the ogres or Khazard troops might get me!”

“The escorts are not an indictment against your capabilities; they are simply there to ensure your well-being and that of our children.” Azzanadra’s voice had a hint of sadness to it. “I do trust you, but with sudden emotional outbursts clouding your judgment from time to time… and your overreliance on sweets to ease your stress…”

As if on cue, Jaina felt her stomach give a very obnoxious growl, and she could no longer ignore the intense hunger pangs. “I can deal with a break from adventuring,” she said, pulling out a chair for him before sitting down. “I kind of needed one after the events in Guthix’s chambers, after all, and it will take time to make hats and clothes for the children anyway… but the escorts are just too much!”

Strawberry the troll chose that moment to waddle in, clutching a sealed letter in one tiny hand. Scrambling up the table leg with considerable effort, he toddled across the tabletop to stand in front of Jaina. “Food?” he asked, eyeing the pies hopefully.

She smiled in relief, glad for the distraction. “Of course I’ll share, Strawberry; let me get you a plate and a napkin… What’s that you have there?”

“Found it by front door,” Strawberry answered, handing it to her. “It has ABCs on it!”

“A letter? I’ll read it after we finish breakfast,” said Jaina, looking it over. Seeing that it was from Ariane, she suspected it was likely about a Legends’ Guild meeting coming up—now there was something she hadn’t thought about in awhile. She doubted the guards would let escorts follow her into the guild; perhaps the meeting was just what she needed?

Setting the letter aside for the moment, she got up once more to get Strawberry his plate and a set of baby troll-sized wooden utensils. Once she had given him small portions of everything and tied a bib on him, and then set to work on one of the meat pies, Azzanadra spoke up once more. “You spoke of making hats for the children; are those truly necessary?”

Jaina tensed up, wiping her mouth as she tried to suppress the flare of indignance. “Yes, it’s important for babies to have warm hats so their heads and ears don’t get cold, mainly during the winter months. You never know how long it will take for their hair to grow, and hair alone can’t keep the cold at bay!”

“I see; that was never an issue on Freneskae… hmmm, perhaps that may be why Khazard turned out the way he did.” For a moment his eyes took on a familiar glow as he gave a slight smile, but it quickly gave way to the more serious, concerned expression he’d had. “Hooded garments may be just as effective for that purpose, and save you time.”

Strawberry perked up, the leaf on his head twitching. “Baby here yet?”

Jaina shook her head. “No, Strawberry, not for another five months…”

“One, two, fee…” The little troll stared at the pies, blinking in confusion. “I no can count dat high yet… I wanna pway with baby now! Wanna be bestest fwiends wif baby!”

“I’m sure they’ll really like you, but you do have to be patient! They’ll come when they’re ready.” She smiled and patted him gently on the head. “I’ll make sure to find more time for your reading lessons so you can help me read them bedtime stories!”

“Yay!” Strawberry squirmed excitedly, and his eager giggles abruptly gave way to a very loud burp. He looked down sheepishly, his cheeks reddening and the leaf on his head drooping forward. “Scoose me…”

“You have taught the young troll well,” Azzanadra remarked, nodding his approval. “I have no doubt you will do the same for the children… but you must still refrain from eating so many sweets. It will have adverse effects on all three of you.”

“I know.” Jaina sighed, looking down at her plate defeatedly. She had to stay calm, had to not snap at him and make a fool of herself. “It’s not like I’m only eating chocolate cake and cream puffs every day… I’m not even that swollen yet…”

Shaking his head exasperatedly, Azzanadra bowed his head, briefly muttering a prayer in Infernal before looking back at her. “In any case, what I was going to tell you is that I might suggest a decent travel opportunity for you,” he said. “Akthanakos has had a project in the works for quite some time, one he wishes you to see personally—though I believe he also wishes simply to enjoy your company and that of the children.”

She sat up straighter, her eyes lighting up. “What sort of a project?”

“That is for you to see for yourself when you arrive,” he replied. “There is an island off the coast of Sophanem where he has been working on it. It would be wise of you to visit Wahisietel before you set off from Nardah so that he can observe your condition, and you should also bring along Akthanakos’ amulet of camel-speak.”

“Of course, I’d intended to go see him anyway.” Jaina smiled a little, finding it hard to contain her growing excitement. “I think I can make it on my own; I’ll just need a lot of waterskins!”

“You will need an escort to cross the desert,” Azzanadra pointed out, a hint of distress in his voice. “Even if you teleport as much as possible and take the shortest and quickest route, I cannot risk you suffering a heat stroke in the middle of the Kharid alone.”

With that the enthusiasm that had been bubbling up in her died as suddenly as it had appeared. Jaina opened her mouth to protest, but decided against saying anything and quickly turned her focus to her breakfast instead.

She ate quietly, avoiding his gaze. The awkward silence between them felt thick enough to cut with a knife, and the uncomfortable clenching of her stomach made it difficult to eat. She wasn’t getting anywhere in reasoning with him, and now she was going to be stuck with yet another annoying escort who would treat her like she was too fragile to walk ten steps.

How was she going to convince him of anything if she could lose her temper or break down crying over something ridiculous at any moment? She had been fortunate that he hadn’t seen her dissolve into tears over cleaning herbs for potions a couple days ago—it had reminded her of the simple fact that overly potent potions could adversely affect babies in the womb, even though she had only been making simple morning sickness potions and she wasn’t going to be drinking any powerful potions anytime soon for that very reason. She probably did look like an unhinged fool to him right now because of those stupid moments… would he still think that if she were a Mahjarrat?

Well, she might be stuck with an escort again this time, but she was going to have to figure out something—a way to work past the random emotional upsets, a way to show that she could still handle herself, protect and defend the children at all costs. She wasn’t going to just do nothing and let things stay as they were.

~***~

The wind blew through her hair as she deftly crossed the stepping stone that formed part of a small land bridge to the nearby desert island. With one more jump, she was across, and she took a moment to brush the sand off her skirt.

“So I can still run and jump… so far, anyway,” she remarked to her stomach. “Probably not for long, though, with how heavy you two are getting… oh well, at least we seem to have lost that annoying escort! Completely by accident, of course… I wonder what your uncle’s been doing here?”

No sooner had the adventurer taken a few steps than she spotted a large camel up ahead, carrying—wait, did it have arms? Indeed it had arms—and a torso as well—and in one hand it carried a beautiful golden staff fitted with a large ruby and emerald. It wore a hooded sort of garment patterned with mint green and orange stripes, with a matching round shield belted to its chest, and its back was covered in some kind of gilded scalemail. A large scimitar hung sheathed at its side, next to several leather bags, and on its hump was a large straw hat—well, whatever it was supposed to be for, it resembled a hat.

Jaina could only stare at the strange camel in astonishment. How had a camel managed to grow arms? Had it managed to dress itself? It likely knew how to use both the scimitar and staff if provoked…

The camel’s head perked up as it noticed her, and it turned around and gave an excited yell before hurrying over to her side. Soon enough, three other camels just like it had appeared and approached Jaina, inclining their heads.

The first camel bowed its head deeply. “Greetings, honored guest! Our master was expecting you.”

Jaina nodded and gave a shaky smile. “Hello there… I’m guessing Akthanakos trained you?”

A second camel nodded proudly. “We are the mighty ugthanatos. We have been rigorously trained as warriors and magicians under our master, the great Camel God, so that we may defend the faithful ones and defeat the red witch!”

“As a friend of his, you are a friend of ours,” a third added. “We hear that you are a magic-wielder of great skill and power, so we hope to test our mettle against you someday! We would be happy to offer you one of our spare staves should you be victorious.”

“That will, however, have to wait,” the first remarked, eyeing her belly. “Our master wishes us to look out for you because you carry the children of his brother, the Rabbit God. Come, this way!”

They ushered Jaina towards a large oasis in the center of the island, and as she followed them she couldn’t help but smile in relief that Azzanadra wasn’t around to hear that. He would’ve definitely had words for Akthanakos regarding teaching the camels to make fun of his hat!

A large canvas tent had been set up near the oasis, and the camel warriors gently urged her to step inside. Akthanakos was sitting there at a small table, and he smiled in greeting as he looked up. “Good to see you make it out here! Have a seat!” He motioned to an empty chair. “How fare the little ones?”

“They’re still hungry all the time,” Jaina remarked, returning the smile as she sat. “Using Lunar magic for day-to-day tasks and other frequent spellcasting has seemed to help with that, as Wahisietel suspected, but it also means I’ve had to craft a lot of runes in between shopping for them and making clothes!” She laughed dryly and then sighed. “Now if only I could go about my business without being followed around for every little thing…”

“My lady!” The escort rushed into the tent, panting and gasping for breath. “I feared you’d gotten lost or wandered the wrong way when you proceeded so far up ahead! What would Lord Azzanadra say if I failed in my duty…”

Jaina glanced down at her hands, stifling an exasperated sigh. “It wasn’t that far from Sophanem’s gates to here, Omar. I knew where we were going.”

Akthanakos smiled and beckoned him to come sit in another chair. “The cakes and tea will be ready shortly—and there will be enough for the both of you!”

“Tea?” The adventurer looked up, noticing the teacup and saucer before her. They were pearly white and adorned with red and gold paisley patterns, and the saucer had a golden camel in the center. There were identical cups and saucers in front of the escort and Akthanakos; the latter’s cup was larger and had a wider handle that looked more suited to a Mahjarrat hand.

He nodded proudly, motioning to his teacup. “Indeed, my friends make most marvelous cups of it!”

“How did camels learn how to make tea? Did you teach them that too? I’m guessing you don’t mind drinking it for pleasure?”

Before she could get an answer, one of the camel warriors ducked inside the tent, bowing its head graciously and setting down a plate of assorted petit-four cakes before them. Stepping closer to Jaina, it proceeded to pour her a cup of tea. “Cream and sugar, honored guest?” it asked, holding both of them out to her.

She nodded politely and accepted both, careful not to give herself too much of either. As the camel headed around to pour the escort’s tea, she gave Akthanakos a curious look. “So… ‘Rabbit God’?”

“Oh, Azzanadra has already come to see my new companions.” The orange-clad Mahjarrat nodded to the camel as it filled his cup, and then gave Jaina a wry smile. “He wasn’t quite sure what to make of them, but he could tell they’re a force to be reckoned with, at least… I knew better than to tell him what they made of his hat! Or that they seem to worship me; he would surely remind me that that’s blasphemous…”

“He does tend to take things rather seriously,” she said, carefully sipping her tea. It was rather minty, but not strong enough to be overpowering. “I find myself missing his sense of humor these days.”

“Indeed, he even declined a cup of tea when offered.” Akthanakos made a sort of hum. “Ah yes, his sense of humor—he certainly doesn’t show that side of himself to just anyone. That’s one reason I knew you’d be a good influence on him!”

“How soon did you start to think that?”

“Sooner than even he realized it! I could see the way his eyes would light up ever so slightly, the way his voice would sound just a little bit proud when he regaled me with tales of your great deeds… it was clear that your company was doing him a great deal of good, especially after what we have all had to endure!” Akthanakos rested his head in his hand, looking pensive. “You recall that I mentioned how I suggested a consort would do him good back in the day? Well, he always told me he wished to stay focused on his duties to Zaros and the church, but I knew he wouldn’t falter from that even with a fine female by his side. What he didn’t say was that there were many maidens, human and vyre alike, who hoped primarily for the wealth, power, and prestige of being his consort! I, of course, did not see or hear much about them while out on campaigns.”

He turned to look at the escort. “As for you, Omar, I do believe you were on the last trade voyage, yes? How have things in the east been?”

“Good fortune all around—several locals have taken a keen interest in the ways of the Great Lord.” The young desert bandit smiled proudly. “The temple is nearly finished, and there are plans for new murals and stained glass windows to be added. I do hope Lord Azzanadra will have time to go and see it—the new priestess is doing her best to make it truly great!”

“There’s a Zarosian church in the east?” Jaina asked, sampling one of the little cakes. “Wait… Tomlin said something about a Zarosian church on the island of Dhar Pei’s Vantage…” She frowned deeply, mentally cursing herself for not thinking about it further—or the ramifications of Tomlin knowing about it before she had.

“Indeed, have you not seen our trade vessel yet? We have been trading with the locals of the Loop region of the Wushanko Isles, and sharing the word of the Empty Lord with them during our time there! Lord Akthanakos assisted us with acquiring the ship and setting up the trade, as did a new convert who knows a lot about sailing. We have gotten along well with the locals from the start—and you should see the temple, my lady! You should meet the priestess too—she’s as sweet as she is lovely!”

“I should like to see it, though I’m unsure how I’ll get there.” She set to work on the rest of the cake, wondering if there were any teleports to the Wushanko Isles she didn’t know about—and whether she should be too greatly worried about Tomlin trying to go there to rob the church blind without her knowing. “A long sea voyage would take too much time, and I’d likely get even more seasick because I’m carrying these two around…”

Suddenly there was a loud, alarmed shriek from outside the tent, and the other camel warriors started yelling in turn. Amidst their cries, Jaina could hear the sound of a staff clashing against metal—and she was already scrambling to her feet, staff in hand, before Akthanakos could even finish saying “An intruder? Here? Be on your guard!”

She rushed out of the tent, ignoring the escort’s frantic cries of “Wait! My lady! This is no time for you to fight!” and ran around to see where the camel warriors were going. She spotted a squad of them near a half-excavated pillar; a closer look revealed that just one was fighting at the moment, and it had summoned three illusory copies of itself with a reddish, blackish, and grayish tint respectively. It was fending off a large hulking brute in thick bulky red and gold plate armor that made him resemble a metal golem, armed with a great unwieldy flail-mace… wait, that armor was familiar!

“Stop!” she shouted, casting Ice Rush at the sand before her. The sudden blast of ice made the brute jump back, and he whirled around to face her, stopping short as he caught sight of her.

“Hello, Katarn,” he said bluntly, keeping his flail at the ready as he slowly approached her. The camel warrior’s eyes never left him, and the illusory copies kept their staves at the ready as well.

“What are you doing here, Raptor?” she demanded indignantly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” The Raptor glanced back at the glaring camel warrior and its copies, and then returned his gaze to her. “So, you’re having a baby. Not impressed. Any pampered, delicate noblewoman could squeeze out a little bawling brat.”

Jaina glared darkly at him. “Kindly do not speak that way about my baby ever again. Need I remind you that I can entrap entire platoons of warriors in ice? And that plate armor conducts magic?”

The Raptor huffed and made an unsettling grunt. “You’re not ready to duel me, Katarn, and even if you were, you’re in no condition to fight me right now. Besides, I’m not here to take you on.”

Before Jaina could reply, her escort hurried over to her, panting. “Please, my lady, do not try to fight… I don’t doubt that this man means you harm!”

The mage shook her head. “I know him, actually. He’s… well, not a friend, more of an acquaintance, from the Legends’ Guild. We don’t know much about him other than his unhealthy obsession with monster hunting, but he’s an ally, at least…”

“Which reminds me,” the Raptor spoke up, unusually loudly. “Guild meeting in two days. You’re expected, so show up. Being pregnant clearly hasn’t made you too weak to go.”

Jaina was tempted to shoot back that it hadn’t made her too weak to encase him in ice where he stood, but she thought better of it and took a deep breath. “I know, and I’ll be there. Now, if you would leave the camels alone…”

“They’re strong,” said the Raptor flatly. “A challenge. Been looking for something truly challenging to fight. Would make for good guild trophies.”

“You know, if you want to test your strength against them, you could ask them first,” Jaina pointed out. “They’re actually quite friendly, if you don’t get on their bad side…”

“Now you’re talking nonsense,” said the Raptor, shaking his head. “And why do you have that simpering weakling at your side?”

The escort stiffened indignantly. “I was hand-picked to ensure my lady’s safety!”

“Anyway,” Jaina spoke up firmly, raising her voice, “leave the camels alone, and go about your business somewhere else. I’m not going to stand by and let you kill them unprovoked!”

The Raptor seemed to hesitate, glancing at the still very much on guard camel warrior and its copies. At last he huffed exasperatedly and turned to Jaina again. “Alright, alright, this arguing is pointless—I’ve heard rumors of other strong monsters to kill anyway. I’ll see you at the guild meeting. As for you—” it was always hard to tell with him thanks to his armor, but she deduced that he was addressing the escort—“Katarn can handle herself, baby or no baby. Do not underestimate her.”

With that he broke a teletab, and the camel warrior’s copies started to look around in different directions, presumably to ensure that he really was gone and didn’t have any friends waiting in the wings. Jaina knew he was gone, for now anyway; she suspected he would surely return sooner or later.

“Are you alright?” Akthanakos asked, hurrying across the sand. “I was prepared to intervene if necessary.”

“I’m fine; it’s our camel friends I’m worried for,” said Jaina, shielding her eyes from the sun as she turned to face him. “Knowing the Raptor, he’ll come back sometime in order to fight them for glory…”

“You needn’t worry too greatly for us,” the camel warrior piped up, dispelling the copies. “We shall be ready for him when he returns! Since you seem to know him, you can inform us about his fighting style if you deem him a threat.”

“Indeed; we can discuss that over the tea.” Akthanakos motioned her to follow him back to the tent. “We wouldn’t want it getting cold!”

“As cold as it can get in the desert heat, anyway,” she quipped, smiling at him as she followed after him.

“You would be surprised by how chilly the nights get,” the escort pointed out, staying uncomfortably close behind her.

Things proceeded fairly smoothly after that, with the escort talking for a little while about what the bandit traders had done in the islands of the Loop region, from assisting with the church in progress on Dhar Pei’s Vantage to befriending the wisps of Light Under Sea. As fascinating as his tales were, Jaina did find listening to him rather irksome as well, if only because it was a reminder of all the adventure she couldn’t be having at the moment. She knew better than to voice such rude and petty complaints, however, and quietly hummed a soft tune to her babies as she listened.

“…it seemed so strange that any creature would want to come to this forsaken desert, but the wisps were very excited to hear that there existed a vast golden sea on land! Some even came aboard with us—”

The camel warriors suddenly gave a loud shout in unison again, and Akthanakos sat up straighter, a knowing look in his eyes. “Shall we step outside a moment?” he said, and headed out of the tent.

Jaina found herself having to use her staff for leverage as she scrambled to get up, and she hurried outside to see what was going on, hoping it wasn’t another hostile presence. She could hear squawking up above, and sure enough a large shadow passed over her as she looked up.

She smiled up and waved, and the familiar griffin gave an excited caw as she spotted her, swooping down to land. The camel warriors gazed in awe as Akthanakos gave them a reassuring smile.

Jaina headed over to hug the griffin’s neck. “Hello, Coeli! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Here for tea party!” Coeli wrapped her wings around the adventurer, nuzzling her affectionately. “Hoped you and little ones do well!”

“I’m sure they are still doing well,” Jaina said with a smile, cradling her stomach. “I, however—” she glanced the escort’s way, sighing— “well, I could be doing much better.”

Coeli chirped at her uncertainly, briefly glancing over at Akthanakos to meet his gaze before looking back at her. “You seem sad…”

Jaina nodded, looking down at the sand. “Indeed I am… I—”

“Ah, noble griffin, esteemed companion to Lord Azzanadra!” The escort hurried over to Coeli and bowed deeply. “It pleases me to behold your majesty.”

Coeli nodded to him, discreetly motioning towards Akthanakos with one wing. “Pleased to see you as well, faithful one.”

The escort smiled proudly. “I have seen to it that my lady arrived safely, and have been vigilant in my duty to look after her!”

Coeli nodded again, softly chirping. “Not doubt dedication of faithful… you try very hard indeed.” Her eyes seemed to light up, and she winked briefly at Jaina before turning to the escort once more. “You dream of Senntisten, yes? I tell you stories of what it was like! I saw other shining cities often, too!”

“Truly?” The escort’s eyes grew wide and bright, and he could hardly seem to keep still. “Was the holy city as wondrous as the stories say? What is it like to take to the skies and soar? What was it like being Lord Azzanadra’s faithful companion for so many years? Were the other cities nearly as glorious?”

Seizing her chance, Jaina hurried over to Akthanakos, who quickly wrapped a hand around her shoulder. “Follow me,” he whispered, his voice and expression unusually serious, and led her back into the tent.

She stared at him as he closed the tent flap. “What’s going on?”

“Have no fear; I did indeed wish you to enjoy yourself and see my handiwork,” Akthanakos said, returning to his seat at the table. “However, there are important things we need to discuss privately. I noticed you were rather uncomfortable with Omar’s presence…”

She quietly nodded as she sat once more. “Yes, I’ve grown so frustrated with how closely all the escorts hover near me, how stifling they are… they know what I’m capable of, so why do they treat me like I’m so fragile just because I’m pregnant?”

“I believe their worries for the little ones are at the forefront of their minds,” Akthanakos remarked, frowning. “Azzanadra worries for them as well—old instincts die hard. Back on Freneskae, it was not just pregnant mothers who had to be vigilant to ensure both they and their babies survived the birth—the entire tribe had to watch over and protect mother and baby, especially in times when births were especially rare. You can see where those protective instincts would come in when it comes to his children, even moreso with them being the first of our kind in so many years.”

He paused a moment to sip his tea. “However, it is not just your mood swings, or even the potential for dangerous adventure to find you rather than the other way around, that has him worried the most. He thought it best I inform you now, in part because of the remoteness of our location.”

“Inform me of what?” Jaina shivered as a chill of dread crept down her spine. “Has something drastic happened? Why hasn’t he told me?”

Akthanakos quietly set his teacup down. “Zamorak knows you are with child.”

“W-what? How...” A stronger chill surged through her, and she tensely clutched the handle of her teacup, her mind already racing with thoughts of what dreadful things Zamorak might want to do to them. “What would he want with… wait… That spy! He must’ve been looking for me…”

“Indeed, the spy we caught had been tracking you in hopes of confirming the identity of your children’s father.” Akthanakos’ voice was grim. “He confessed that Zamorak is interested in them due to their half-human half-Mahjarrat nature, and plans to have Moia teach them from a young age.”

Jaina bit her lip, clutching her teacup handle tighter. “Does that mean they plan to take them from me when they are born?” Shakily she sipped her tea, hopeful that its refreshing mintiness would calm her nerves. “Or are they just going to blackmail me again…”

“That we do not know,” Akthanakos replied, frowning. “If the Zamorakians have such a plan yet, the spy did not know about it; they may believe they have time to consider their options. They do currently seem intent on confirming who the children’s father is; I suspect they may be looking to blackmail us rather than you directly this time. The reason we hesitated to inform you was out of fear that you might have had an emotional overreaction and done something foolish…”

“I haven’t done anything when those happen except curse and cry and wait for my head to clear—I couldn’t let myself do anything stupid, not again.” She sighed, sipping her tea again. “What should I do now? Do I need to reinforce my home with magical traps to keep spies out? Or will they take more drastic measures if they know we’re onto them?”

“I cannot say; what I would advise is merely to stay vigilant and keep an eye out for their agents. You have a good head on your shoulders and enough magical skill to hold your own; I’m sure you’re astute enough to spot traps before you walk into them!” Akthanakos gave her a reassuring smile. “As for the escort matter, I do believe my dear brother would trust Coeli as your traveling companion! She would allow you more freedom and nag you far less.”

“Oh!” Jaina straightened up, nearly dropping her teacup. “Why didn’t I think of that before?” Quickly regaining her composure, she set the empty cup down. “Hmmm, she would also be the best way to travel to the guild meeting in two days; the guards would never let a random desert-dweller into the guild anyway… Perhaps I should ask her about it now? If there isn’t anything else important we need to discuss?”

“Yes, now would be a good time to speak of it.” Akthanakos rose and opened the tent flap again. “I suspect she may be interested in traveling with you more often anyway! She is keen to help look after the children, you know.”

“That I do… well, thank you for having me, and I hope to see you again soon!” Jaina waved and returned his smile as she rose, shielding her eyes as she stepped out into the bright sunlight. Many of the camel warriors had gathered around Coeli to listen to the story she was telling the escort, who was seated beside her and listening closely.

“…and in cold months, there many snow and ice sculptures in the gardens, and even an ice altar! Many people stopped to pray there, and often guessed about who made it!”

“It seems we missed out on something interesting,” Jaina remarked to her stomach. “We’ll have to ask her to tell us this story soon!”

As she approached the griffin, the escort sat bolt upright as he spotted her coming. “Ah, my lady, there you are! Noble Coeli has been describing the holy city in great detail!”

“As well I gathered,” she replied, leaning against Coeli’s side and wrapping an arm around her neck. “I’ve asked Azzanadra a lot about it, but the ice sculptures are something I haven’t heard about yet!”

“Indeed, it is fascinating, and a welcoming thought in this heat!” The escort’s eager smile suddenly gave way to a concerned frown. “Are you keeping well, my lady? If the heat is getting to be too much for you, I can offer you some shade—”

“I’m fine right now, Omar,” Jaina pointed out, resisting the urge to groan. “I’ve crossed the Kharidian Desert before and lived!”

“But so much could go wrong, and the desert is such an inhospitable place, particularly for the mother of the holy children!” the escort protested. “I have spare waterskins if you need water…”

“You worry much,” Coeli remarked, wrapping a wing around Jaina. “Not want you become overwhelmed, too worried! Hmmm… you return to family? I look after Jaina, give you much-needed rest!”

The escort was shaking his head emphatically. “But I was tasked with guiding her by Lord Azzanadra himself! I dare not fail in my duties to him.”

“You do duty to Zaros better if you spend time at home with family! Azzanadra know I look after little ones most vigilantly!” The griffin’s tone was firm and commanding, rather reminiscent of her master. “You not get into any trouble if you go home and rest.”

The young bandit frowned, shifting uncertainly where he stood. “I… well, I’ve not gotten a chance to see my family since disembarking the ship… and I heard someone in the bar say that I have a baby daughter now… but I was given a task…”

“Fathers very important to lives of children,” Coeli pointed out. “All faithful have important roles in life—that what Great Lord teaches! I worry about Jaina, you go be with baby!”

The escort seemed to ponder the matter, and still looked apprehensive when he finally spoke again. “But, noble Coeli, am I to make my way back to camp on foot and alone?”

Coeli shook her head and sat down on the ground in such a way that she could be mounted. “No, we fly!”

“Fly? But—wait, my lady!”

Jaina didn’t need to be told twice, and was already pulling herself up and over onto Coeli’s back, settling there as comfortably as she could. “I was just about to ask you if we could travel together,” she whispered, hugging the griffin’s neck securely.

“Wanted to help,” Coeli quietly cooed. “Asked Azzanadra—he say you very not happy with escorts.”

“Yes, and you can certainly see why!” Jaina remarked dryly. “They worry needlessly about everything going wrong…”

“Are you sure about this, noble Coeli?” the escort asked, looking positively paralyzed with fear. “What if my lady falls from your back in mid-flight? What if strong winds knock us all from the sky? What if a sandstorm blinds you?”

Jaina was tempted to shoot back that any method of travel anywhere was dangerous and that walking across the desert had more perils, but Coeli spoke up before she could snap. “I not let either of you fall!” Holding her head high proudly, the griffin beckoned to him with her wing. “Desert far less dangerous in air than on foot! You hold on tight—not have to fly for very long!”

The escort stood frozen, his knees knocking, for a long moment, and Jaina suspected he was more afraid of flying himself than he was being the usual obnoxious worrywart this time. At last he reluctantly and slowly climbed on, looking for something to hold onto without much luck.

“Hold onto me,” Jaina said, glancing back at him. “That should keep you steady!”

“But, my lady,” he objected, “it is not my place to lay a hand on the holy bride…”

“Azzanadra isn’t going to fry you for holding onto my waist in order not to fall to your death,” she snapped bluntly, no longer able to hold back her annoyance. “If anything, it will merely be me supporting you so you can make it home to your family safely!”

“Precisely,” Coeli chimed in. “Ready to go?”

Jaina nodded and smiled, a surge of excitement swelling in her stomach. The escort gulped and very shakily slid his arms around her waist, careful not to touch her breasts or slightly swollen belly.

The camel warriors waved and cheered, and one of them beamed brightly. “We hope to see you again soon! We are ever so eager to see the children!”

The adventurer waved back. “I’ll be sure to visit with them!”

She held on tight once more, and the swift rush of wind through her hair as Coeli took to the skies flooded her with exhilaration. Slowly, surely, she could feel her frustrations blowing away on the wind, in spite of the escort’s shivering in fear behind her, and a wide smile spread across her face. “I can’t believe how much I missed flying,” she mused to her babies. “You two should see the view from up here, feel the wind in your hair…”

She settled comfortably into place, still holding on tight to Coeli’s neck. “So, you were saying something about ice sculptures?”

“Azzanadra made most of them!” Coeli gave a happy, musical trill. “He make ice altar every year to remind faithful that Zaros is ever present!”

Jaina felt her smile spread further across her face. “Ah yes, I do remember! He did tell me about that once.” 

It had been awhile since he'd told her about his snow shrines, so it had slipped her mind until Coeli had reminded her just now. It was still hard to imagine that Azzanadra would have had time to do something as fun as building snowmen or ice sculptures, but now that she was picturing him doing so, she could envision the little shrines and the icy likenesses of Zaros he might’ve built perfectly. Doubtless his handiwork would be more impressive and detailed than the silly snowmen she still enjoyed making, but if they ever had spare time to spend on a snowy day…

“Perhaps that’s something we can do together—I’ve always liked building snow sculptures! And the children can join us at it someday…” She closed her eyes, imagining using ice magic to form adorable snow babies. “Indeed, I must ask him… but I missed much of what you said about the city! I wonder what other things about it he hasn’t told me yet…”

She wouldn’t go to him right away, not yet; traveling with Coeli for the day would be preferable. Either way, it wouldn’t be long before she would be free of the escort—and even with the knowledge that there might be spies after her, she still found herself filled with hope, with assurance that things could only go up from here.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a short, fluffy little installment to tide you over in between the more dramatic parts!
> 
> This was obviously inspired mainly by the camel warriors, and I mainly wanted to write the tea party! They were simply too great not to write about, and Akthanakos can always use more focus anyway. Poor underdeveloped fellow... I do hope I didn't underutilize them! Might I add that the Ugthanatos journal also made me very happy because I've been writing him fairly accurately this whole time?
> 
> That is, of course, not to say that there isn't conflict carrying over... I didn't want to resolve the romantic tensions or the escort situation too quickly, and even with how this ends, it'll take more to get through those disagreements than that! I do think the desert bandits tasked with escort duty are far more overbearing worrywarts in this situation than Azzanadra, given how they seem to revere him almost to the point of worship.
> 
> Jaina is wrong about the hats, by the way--in general, being near one's mother is enough to keep a baby's little head warm. But we can't have her know every iota of current knowledge, you know?
> 
> The camel warriors served mint tea because mint tea is [a thing in North Africa in real life,](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghrebi_mint_tea) so it seemed most fitting! As for Akthanakos' comment about the maidens, well, rulers and monarchs do tend to be in high demand in that regard, and with Azzanadra being pretty much second only to Zaros himself in the empire... well, you get the picture!
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, and I hope you enjoy!


End file.
